MOSCOW, August 18 (RIA Novosti) – The European Union will review relations with Egypt where violence has left hundreds dead, the presidents of the European Commission and the European Council said in a joint statement on Sunday.
“To this effect, together with its Member States, the EU will urgently review in the coming days its relations with Egypt and adopt measures aimed at pursuing these goals," the statement by Jose Manuel Barroso and Herman Van Rompuy said.
In the statement, Barroso and Van Rompuy called on all sides to show restraint and prevent further escalation of the violence. “We share interests in and responsibility for the maintenance of peace and stability in a strategic region. Further escalation must be prevented. It could have unpredictable consequences for Egypt and for its broader neighborhood.”
Over 750 people were killed in Egypt’s clashes between supporters of ousted President Mohammed Morsi and security forces, which began removing camps of pro-Morsi demonstrators earlier in the week.
Morsi narrowly won the May 2012 presidential election, which followed a revolution that ousted his authoritarian predecessor, Hosni Mubarak. But Morsi was removed from the office in July in a military coup that came after months of street protests by opponents.
The presidential ouster has polarized the country, with Morsi’s supporters replacing his opponents in the streets. The military has declared a nationwide state of emergency in an attempt to stop the violence.
